2025 Tree Farm Breakfast Awards
By Ken Day
2025 Indiana Logger of the Year
Kline Contracting is the 2025 Indiana Logger of the Year. Mike Kline is third generation, and Miles Kline is a fourth generation Kline to operate the logging business. The award was announced at the Tree Farm Breakfast at the Indiana Hardwood Lumberman’s Association convention in Indianapolis in February. They were selected for their emphasis on safety and protection of soil and water resources.
Mike started running a skidder and topping trees at the age of 14 and became full time at 18. He took over the business in 2003 when his father Jerry passed away. Miles worked summers running a skidder and loader and became full time in 2016 after graduating from the University of Southern Indiana with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. In 2018 they transitioned to mechanical logging equipment for safety reasons and to increase production.
Logger of the Year award is sponsored by the Indiana Tree Farm Committee. The committee consists of 30 members representing a cross section of Indiana forestry professionals.
2025 Tree Farmer of the Year
Leibering and Sons is the 2025 Indiana Tree Farmer of Year. Their 120 farm is called Whippoorwill Nest. They were recognized at the Indiana Hardwood Lumberman’s Association convention. They were selected because Whippoorwill Nest is the result of more than a century of use, hardship, persistence, and stewardship.
The timber was first harvested at the turn of the 20th century and again in 1932-1933. The woods were fenced and pastured but by the late 1940s were in poor condition with a lot of cull and low-quality trees. Restoration began in earnest after 1954 by clearing brush, stabilizing gullies, applying lime and fertilizer, and planting pine and hardwood seedlings. The first timber stand improvement occurred in 1965 as a United Sates Department of Agriculture pilot program. Improved forest management, additional regeneration harvests, and healthy forest developed by the 1980s. In the mid-1980s they began Christmas tree production. Major harvests occurred in 2000 and 2008 to continue the focus on long-term forest health.
The guiding principle has been caring for the land, trusting nature’s ability to heal, and managing with patience, humility, and respect. Whippoorwill is a living legacy for future generations. Tree Farmer of the Year is sponsored by Indiana Tree Farm.
2025 Outdoor Laboratory of the Year
Lawrence County Independent Schools of Bedford, Indiana was selected as the 2025 Outdoor Laboratory of the Year. The award was announced at the Tree Farm Breakfast at the Indiana Hardwood Lumberman’s Association convention and presented at the Hoosier Association of Science Teachers, Inc. conference in Indianapolis.
The outdoor laboratory was established in 2008. Outdoor and Conservation Education Curriculum was developed and aligned with Indiana State Science Standards. It is designed for K-8th grade covering components of art, language arts, math, science, and social studies. There are 185 students and 13 teachers using the laboratory.
Students learn about plant communities including tree identification and measurements, plant growth, invasive species, wetland species, wildlife habitat, and restoration. Soil and water resource learning includes erosion control, karst, and soil testing. There are also milkweed plants available to provide opportunities to observe migrating monarch butterflies. The nature area serves as rehabilitation sanctuary for opossums.
Partners include Hoosier National Forest Education Outreach, Indiana Karst Conservancy, Lawrence County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Purdue Extension. The award is sponsored by Indiana Tree Farm which has education as one of its objectives.
Ken Day is retired Hoosier National Forest Supervisor.